


RESP♺WN : The Los Santos Chronicles.

by Lowerkase



Series: RESP♺WN [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Character Death, Crime, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fake AH Crew, GTA AU, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Characters to be Added., Smut, Swearing, torture mention
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-17
Updated: 2015-07-31
Packaged: 2018-04-04 21:54:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4154379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lowerkase/pseuds/Lowerkase
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>RESP♺WN: Everyone dies, but not everyone RESP♺WN's.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Life and Death of Terra Frye

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter is completely all prologue and is absolutely my first time posting fic..

Terra Frye was dying, slowly. It wasn't something she would have chosen for herself. If she had been on the other end of the knife, she would have gone for the jugular, not the myriad of stab wounds in her belly. It had hurt, when the combat knife was thrust into her. But from where she was currently propped up against the car she had been trying to get in, she really couldn't feel anything anymore.

Terra's vision was going cloudy, but from what she could see, it was going to be a beautiful sunrise. The sky was filled with a wonderful assortment of pinks and purples and oranges. It was fitting, Terra mused. She had never seen a sunrise before. Here she was, dying, seeing the her first sunrise in her life.

As the purple in the sky gave way for more orange and pink, Terra started to recall moments in her life. Memories played in her mind like an old movie reel that had been in storage for a long time. Sights, smells, sensations overwhelmed her senses.

The smell of freshly blown out birthday candles wafted into her nose as Terra watched her six year old self blow out the candles on the purple cake. Terra watched her father with his giant hand place a tiara on her head, her mother cutting the cake deftly. Her parent's friends, her honorary aunt and uncle sang Happy Birthday along with their 10 year old son.

That memory faded and Terra heard a crack of bone that was broken falling out of a tree at eight. Even then, she would follow him to the ends of the Earth. She winced as she saw herself sit up, the bones in her left arm not looking like they should. Her younger self sat in shock as she watched him scrambled down the old oak tree, calling out for the adults near by.

Terra felt the feelings of pride and accomplishment wash over her as another memory manifested. She had been 12 when she won that horse riding competition. She had trained for years at her parent's stable with her horse, Amity. All of their hard work had paid off when she had been presented that giant Blue Ribbon.  

The memory shifted again and Terra felt the hurricane of butterfly wings that had pitted in her stomach when she kissed her best friend at 17. She had tried so desperately to convey the feelings that she had danced around for years into one single kiss. Terra recalled it had been out of the blue for him, and she felt all of those butterflies in her stomach die when he pushed her away.  

The next thing Terra felt was confusion. She was 20 years old again as she felt his lips crash on to hers. They were caught behind a stack of shipping containers exchanging bullets from the thugs that were guarding the luxury car they were trying to boost. Terra watched as herself push him away in the memory, knowing that as soon as they were safe with the stolen car tucked away, she would jump into his arms, and wrap herself around him.

The next memory Terra watched her 22 year old self, at the hidden airstrip that his parent's owned. The two families had gathered to see both sets of parents off. She watched herself cry, her father gathering her up, holding her as she cried. They were fleeing the country, decades of criminal activity had caught up to them. And then it happened. The sadness faded as her father turned her around to face her lover, who was down on one knee, offering up a gorgeous ring he had stolen. Emotions had overwhelmed her, letting go of her original family with the promise of a new one.

That memory faded into another one. Terra was 24 when they had gotten married. She watched herself walk down the aisle by herself, wearing a column gown in the shade of pale rose gold. Terra had met him at the end of that aisle, where he was decked out in an all black tux and fighting back tears.Terra felt herself tear up when she watched the memory of them exchanging their vows.

The memories shifted again and Terra was over come with joy. Together, they had purchased a strip club. It had been perfect, the perfect cover for their ill gotten gains. She managed it, and sometimes she would dance, having done so for the past couple years as her "day job". Terra watched on as their crew got drunk during Karaoke night, attempting their own luck on the pole.

The sun peaked over the horizon, the sky getting brighter at the birth of a new day. Of course, she thought as the last memory, the worst memory came to her. There was blood on her hands. She could smell the copper, she could taste it. It hurt, she thought. The stab wounds she felt, the memory that played in her mind. His head was cradled in her her lap in the memory, she was scared. She didn't want to be alone. She had never been alone. But he was leaving her. In the memory, Terra had screamed as she watched the light fade from his blue eyes.

Life always worked out that way, little coincidences that you never expected to happen. Terra had followed him in the same way, stab wounds in the stomach. And the sun rose in the sky, shining a light on everything anew, Terra Frye's life ended. She was 30.

* * *

 

_Bright_ , Terra hissed as her bottle green eyes jolted open. She was sat in an office that was all white. The walls, the floor, the furniture, even the desk supplies were all white. Terra looked to her right and caught her reflection in the two way mirror that was on the wall. She was dressed in all white, a loose sleeveless dress without any shoes. Her ash brown hair was in it's signature stacked bob hair style with bangs. She sat there staring at her reflection.

"Hello!" A door behind her opened, a young perky woman with mocha colored skin walked in and took the seat behind the desk. She was also dressed in white pant suit. Her long hair that fell to her shoulders looked like it had been dipped in lavender paint. She placed the lime green folder that she had carried in with her on the desk. She flipped it opened and started reading the file that was inside it. "You must be Terra Haywood, nee Frye, correct?"

It took Terra a moment, but she found her voice. "Yes. Where-"

The woman cut her off, "Excellent, everything seems to be in order here then." She shifted and thrust her hand out for Terra to shake. Terra took the offered hand and a feeling of warmth and welcome washed over her. Before she could say another thing, the woman spoke up again as the handshake ended.

"My name is Mica. Welcome to RESP♺WN. RESP♺WN is an optional process for the recently deceased that grant them another chance at life with certain pros and cons." The woman, Mica, began. Terra stared at her.

"What?" Terra asked. "Are you telling me that I died, and now I'm alive again?" Terra was perplexed. She had never imagined anything like this.

"Well, yes and no." Mica started with an easy smile. "Yes, you died. You were stabbed 7 times in your gut by one Alexi Tomlin. You died at 6:46 AM EST on September 28th, 2014 in Murphy, Georgia according to your file. And no, you are currently not alive. You are currently in what's called Reception. Reception is the first step in the RESP♺WN process. We'll talk about your life, like what was good for you, what didn't work for you, and together, we'll decide where you will be placed.

"After Reception, you and I will then go through Processing. Processing is where we get you ready for the world in which you are Placed. We'll get you mentally prepared for the reality where you will live in after RESP♺WN. " Mica paused as she stood, and poured them both a glass of water from the pitcher that had been on the desk. Terra accepted the glass, and Mica drank the water before she began again.

"Finally is Placement, where you'll forget about the RESP♺WN process and you are physically placed in your new reality. You'll retain all memories of your life before RESP♺WN, and you'll know all the information that was provided to you during Processing, but you won't remember me or this. With me so far?"

Terra wasn't sure what to think. She was dead, but not? What deity thought it would be smart to let her live again.

"So," Terra began, "Let me repeat this back to make sure I understand this right. I died. I remember that. But what I'm experiencing right now is a screening process to determine where I go to live again, right? Like I get to decide if I go back as a cat or a dog or a worm or something?"

It was Mica's turn to stare at Terra. A few seconds passed before laughter erupted from her. It took a few moments for the fit of laughter to pass.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed. I haven't heard anything like that in a couple of years." Mica composed herself, sipping on her water. "Again, yes and no. Yes, we'll decide where you go to live, but no, you won't be anything other than your current self. You'll still be human. It's just that the world you lived in previously, where you were born, can't support those who have RESP♺WN'ed." She shifted in her seat.

"People who RESP♺WN are normally placed in a different version of reality, at their choosing, however those realities normally can only support only a total of 30 people who RESP♺WN. And typically, each version of reality is different for every person. Those who have gone through the RESP♺WN process will be able to recognize that you have also RESP♺WN'ed, but everyone else in that world will be like you used to be. Living their lives for the first or only time." Mica explained.

"So its like a Video Game?" Terra asked. "Where there is a lobby of players that you can fully interact with, and a host of Non Playable Characters?"

Mica thought about it for a moment. "I've never heard it explained that way, but yes, that fits." She looked down at the open file in front of her. "Any other questions before we get into deciding your Placement?"

"I'll let you know." Terra told her, sitting back in the chair.

"All right! Let's dive in. Your file says here you were married to a James Ryan Haywood, aged 30 at the time of his death. He also died by stab wounds to the stomach, by a Dimitri Tomlin. According to this he was also selected for RESP♺WN." Mica trailed off.

"What?!" Terra sat up, and leaned in closer to the desk. "Ryan went through this?"

Mica slid open a drawer on the desk and picked up a red phone. She held a hand up, telling Terra to wait. She waited a beat while she waited for someone to pick up on the other side. After a few moments, she spoke up.

"I need the records for the Processing and Placement of one James Ryan Haywood, ID #20111018.19801206.1658.GA.JRH" Terra watched as Mica had paused, listening to the person on the other line. "Look, Kris, I've got a Code Bell currently. I just need the info." Another pause. "Thanks Kris."  Mica hung up the phone, and closed the drawer. She saw the question on Terra's face. "It's unusual that we get a couple that have both been chosen for RESP♺WN, but it's not unheard of. If, and I mean a big if, there is space available in the reality that the spouse was Placed in, then it becomes an option available to you. I just have to have his file to determine if its an option."

Mica stood as a knock sounded on the door. She stood and crossed the room. She opened it and Terra watched as a muscular golden retriever of a man in a white suit passed Mica a dark blue file. Mica exchanged a few words with the man, flashed him a bright smile and closed the door.

"Well, I guess workplace flirting is a thing that happens everywhere in the office." Terra comment as Mica sat back at the desk. She flushed as she opened the file and read through it.

"Looks like you're in luck, Terra. Your husband was placed in reality that is similar to what you're used too. The only major differences, would be things like names for locations or items. That version of reality also has unique ability as your tools and items. It uses a request-manifestation model in which you only have to think of a certain item, and it materializes for you. However this only really happens for guns, explosives, and melee weapons. Also, clothing items, snacks, and things like helmets, body armor and parachutes also run on this system. You do have to purchase these things, but once purchased, you can't get rid of them." Mica paused, taking a drink of water from her glass.

"The only other thing about this reality is that it is in a state of perpetual RESP♺WN. For people in these worlds who have already RESP♺WN'ed, that means if they were to die again, by any means, the person would respawn again in the same reality. Essentially, its a world were you keep coming back if you die, over and over. Pain, of course, still exists, but you could survive a few bullet wounds before respawn again. Those who respawn in that world typically respawn in their homes, or if too far from home, close to where they died last."

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Mica, but are you saying that my husband chose to go to a world, where he could die, but he could also keep coming back with virtually no consequences?" Terra asked the woman, who still looked over the blue file.

Mica looked up at Terra with a smile. "Yes, it appears so. According to the notes here, he wanted to be in a reality where he continue his life of crime without major repercussions. This version of reality, as far as crime goes, is rampant with it, but law enforcement can't really do much about those who RESP♺WN into the world. The police shoot to kill the RESP♺WN'ed. And once they "die", the police no longer care about the individual until they break the law again."

"That sounds like Ryan." Terra muttered to herself.

"The reality also has a "Ranking" system. RESP♺WN'ed people in that world complete a series of events and receive "Experience". Experience is quantified into a number system, and certain weapons unlock at certain Ranks. For example, a person going into this world would start at level 1. Currently, your husband is at Rank 120."  Mica read from the file.

Terra thought for a moment and a question popped in her head. "Mica, if I were to choose to RESP♺WN into that world with Ryan, could I be separated from the other people who RESP♺WN'ed until I reached a certain level in the Rankings?" Terra asked the woman.

Mica looked over the notes in the blue folder, before looking back up at Terra. Mica saw there was glint of ambition and hunger in her eyes. Mica could see that Terra wanted to catch up to Ryan, but be able to hold her own. It matched the personality profile in Terra's file.

"According to this, that does appear to be an option for this reality. You only need to signify which Ranking you want to come into. This particular version of reality happens to be fairly popular. So you would be initially placed in a "private" version, and once you have reached the specified ranking, anytime that you respawn after that you would be placed in the "public" version with the others. Sound good to you?" Mica asked Terra.

"Sounds perfect. Let's get started." Terra replied and everything faded into nothingness.


	2. Monday Morning Meeting

Geoff never expected to appreciate Monday mornings. In his past life he abhorred them like every other normal person in the world. Well, the hangovers Geoff had every Monday morning in the past were the worst. Now, Geoff typically spent his Monday mornings in quiet contemplation and appreciation, with a cup of coffee in hand.

Geoff watched as his crew, no, his family walked in and shuffled around the crew's hideout in the Vinewood Hills in Los Santos. Geoff had never thought that he would be thankful that he had died, but he found himself being just that as he watched his ragamuffin group. Geoff didn't like thinking too much about the how of it, but today he was feeling particularly appreciative of the fact that he had gotten the chance to meet all of these people.

Geoff watched his beautiful Griffon as she compiled her notes and files for today's weekly meeting that was about to start. She had recently added a bit of green to her hair, thanks to Meg, and it looked stunning on her. Yes, today Geoff was feeling all sorts of sentimental as he watched Griffon pull her hair back into a short little pony tail, which exposed a dark scar along side her neck. The chainsaw that had ended her previous life back in 2004 hadn't scared her away from continuing to create her wooden sculptures that were scattered in the various crew member's homes and apartments.

Geoff's eyes spanned the small room as he watched his family, recalling all the various reasons over the past couple of years of how they came together as a group. Each of them had died one way or another, only to show up in this strange world. Geoff was a member of the vehicle crash club with Jack, Gavin, Steffie and Tina. Some of them had died by animals like Caiti's Spider, Matt's bees, and Kdin's Snake. Some of them, the life of crime had impacted them from before, like Ryan's murder by stabbing, Michael's death by driving by shooting, or Ray's death when a drug deal went bad. Some had died in freak accidents, like Lindsay's death by amusement park ride, or being struck by lightning like Caleb. For some reason, and Geoff didn't question it, but the universe had wanted these people with him here.

When Geoff finished his cup of coffee, he had finished his quiet contemplation. The room was in a hush, small talk and chatter were the only sounds that were really being made. It was like the calm before the storm. Geoff went to grab another cup of coffee from the pot. Once he was back at his place at the head of the huge dining room table that served in their makeshift conference room, Geoff started the Monday Morning meeting.

"Happy Monday, Fake AH. Let's get down to business so we can go about our lives."

Various members of the crew reported on their different specialties. Trevor told Gavin to quit destroying his cars, Griffon advised them that the money from the last heist had been distributed to the correct accounts. The man Ryan had tortured for information for an upcoming job had served his purpose and disposed of. Michael had advised that all current crew weapons inventory was full.

The meeting was winding down to a close when Geoff remembered the project he had put their tech specialist, Steffie, on.

"Steffie, any updates on your project?" He asked. Steffie had her laptop out, and she connected it to the projector that was in the room.

"Yes! The project has been completed, and tested. So far, we haven't had any hits on it, but I'm going to run it here now for a quick demonstration, then I'll upload it to the computer here." Steffie began, pulling the program she had designed on the screen. It was a fairly basic program that showed the map of Los Santos, with a vertical box on the right side of the screen.

"This is Radar, which stands for Really Awesome Directional Area RESP♺WN. Currently, it runs on one computer at all times, which is why I'm installing it on the computer here. It will also work in concert with an app I'm making, so that way you can access the information on the phone." The computer made a small woosh sound, and everyone's phones vibrated. She continued, "I sent you an email so you can download the app."

She pointed to the vertical box on the side of the screen when she ran the search function of the program. "The box on the side of the screen here shows a listing of everyone that's on the map. Click on a Photo, and that particular person's information will come up." Steffie clicked on her own photo. "The app will allow you to edit what kind of information you want shown on there, just like you would for your LifeInvader profile. Currently, the app has all the information, including photos, provided from RESP♺WN. You'll be prompted to edit your information when you set up the app on your phone."

Lindsay spoke up. "Wait, this shows pictures from RESP♺WN, does that include how we died?"

Steffie tried to hold back a grimace, remembering how Lindsay had died. "Yes. I would have removed them if I could, but only the person who the information is about can edit the information that shows." Lindsay pulled out her phone in an instant, tapping away at editing her information.

"Moving on," Steffie continued, this time moving the mouse to hover over an icon of a spy glass in the top left corner of the screen. "This icon, is the locator. Once clicked on, will manually run a search for new people. The program will search for new players every 48 hours on its own, and an alert will be pushed out to the apps on your phones. "

Steffie clicked on the spy glass, and the program showed a spinning star graphic to indicated that it was searching. The star disappeared, only to be replaced by a flashing duck symbol and a staccato of beeps.

"Uh, did you program it to do that for the demonstration?" Jack asked as the screen changed again. The screen showed a small box with the words:   **NEW! B0MBSH3LL has joined.**

Steffie clicked the box to make it go away, the screen going back to the map. "No, I didn't. I was just going to do a walkthrough of the thing!" The map showed a large group of dots on the map, and a smaller one located in Rockford Hills. She zoomed in on the screen.

"Hey, it's at Eclipse Tower. Ryan's got a new neighbor!" Gavin chirped.

"Thank you Captain Obvious." Meg rolled her eyes at her boyfriend.

Steffie clicked on the still default image that was in the sidebar of the program. There was a short 'Please Wait' message as the information was downloaded. The atmosphere as the crew waited was tense. The screen changed again, as the information came in spurts.

  * **Height: 5'6"**
  * **Weapon Preferences: AP Pistol, Special Carbine, Grenade Launcher, Sticky Bombs.**
  * **Death: Murdered by Alexi Tomlin, seven stab wounds to the stomach.**



The information was slowly trickling in when an image popped up on the screen. It was an image of a wedding, set at an overlook that overlooked a valley in the mountains. It was a fall wedding, the leaves that hadn’t fallen yet were a mix of reds, oranges, and yellows. The photo was taken right after sunset, while there was still light in the sky. The sky was a deep red, with dark purple clouds. The couple were near the barrier, the groom dressed all in black, had lifted his bride up, so she was leaning down to kiss him. Her hands had rested around his neck, holding a giant bouquet of light pink Faith Roses. The bride's soft rose gold color gown rippled in the wind.

The image was replaced by an identification photo and more information. The photo showed a woman with pale skin that was covered by freckles. Her ash brown hair was styled in a long shaggy cut bob with bangs that just ended at her eyebrows. Her bottle green eyes were surrounded by smoky eyeshadow and winged eyeliner. Those eyes combined with her blood red lips that was in a devilish smirk made it known that this woman was trouble.

Ryan stared at the photo on the screen. He didn't bother with the information on the screen, he knew it all already. But he drank in the photo on the screen like he was dying of thirst. In ways, he was. Since he had RESP♺WN'd into this world four years ago, he had spiraled down a slippery slope into madness. But looking at the screen, he felt his center of gravity starting to come back.

The other members of the crew were absorbing the information that was presented on the screen. It was Ray that broke the dam of silence. "Terra Haywood?" The comments after that came out like a tidal wave.

"Woah, she's really pretty." "31? Damn it, I'm still the oldest lady here!"

"You're married?!" The volume of Geoff's voice cut over all of the others speaking. Geoff was standing there in his suit, watching his lieutenant. Geoff had met this man trying to steal the same armoured truck. They had known each other for four years now, and while every man was entitled to their secrets, Geoff was somewhat hurt that one of his closest friends and fellow Gent hadn't shared this with him.

"I-. She-. I never thought I was going to see her again." Ryan said quietly. The small roar of the others voices was cut quiet hearing Ryan speak. They could hear the pain and shock that was laced in his voice.

"I hate to interrupt, but I think those cameras Geoff had the B-Team install all around town has paid off." Steffie spoke up, rearranging the items on the projected screen so that a live feed was being shown.

On the screen, the woman had just drove her Pegassi Bati 801 out of her garage, where she was currently straddling the parked motorcycle. Her hair was pulled back into a tight little ponytail. She was dressed in her signature color, all black. She wore black jeans that had been tucked into black utility boots. She wore a large black hoodie and her hands were covered by fingerless gloves. The crew watched her as she made a small movement with her hands, and a mask appeared in her hands. She leaned forward, pulling the mask over her face. She sat up, and made sure her hair was tucked up.

The crew continued to watch the woman as she located the camera facing the garage entrance. They looked on as her eyes looked into the lense of the camera from behind a silver skull mask. It was like those green eyes were staring straight into their souls. Each member of the crew was shaken as they watched her call forth her flare gun. She aimed, and they watched as a pedestrian went up in flames. The next thing they saw was her aiming a pistol at the camera, and the feed was cut.

They sat there for a brief moment in silent shock. The quiet was broken by the sound of Ryan standing up from where he had been sitting with such force that the dining chair he was previously in crashed to the ground. They heard the man leave the house and the revving of the engine in his Zentorno.

****  



	3. Reunion

Terra was falling. The ground was coming closer and closer to greet her. She grasped the rip cord to release her parachute, but nothing happened. She desperately grasped at the secondary rip cord, but that cord failed as well. Did she not pack her parachute correctly? As Terra Frye Haywood rapidly approached Terra Firma, panic and acceptance washed over her. She hated falling to her death, but at least it was faster than death by bullet.

She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the impact, but it never came. Terra's eyes flew open, and she fell out of the bed. A string of curses flew out of her mouth as she sat up against the side of the giant king sized platform bed. She ran her hand through her hair as she told herself that it had only been a memory flash. She had been pretty reckless those first couple of months after she RESP♺WN'd.

Terra caught her reflection in the floor length mirror. She was a wreck. The sheets that she was tangled in had blood stains on them. She looked on the bed behind her to find that blood was soaked there as well. And while her pillow didn't have any blood on it, it was stained with the makeup she had forgotten to take off.

Terra let out a groan as she remembered what happened. She did a job for Lester the night before, and caught a few bullets in her back. She completed the job, but she died after the fact from blood loss. It was one of the things she hated about this world. Clothing and sheets always got destroyed. There was always bloodstains on something. At least it didn't show up too bad on black, she thought.

Terra picked herself up off the floor and gathered the linens from the bed. She walked into her bathroom and threw them into the bathtub. She had to do laundry this weekend, Terra thought to herself, she couldn't put it off any longer.

Terra shook the remaining dregs of the memory/dream from her head as she stepped under the cool water that fell from the shower head. Death was her life now. As she showered, her main thoughts were trying to figure out what she wanted to do that day. Terra always had the treat yourself philosophy.

Finishing her shower, Terra decided that today she was going to go out. She didn't what she was going to do, but there was never a shortage for things to do in Los Santos. Terra toweled off and put her hair in a pony tail. She put on her make up and then she moved to her closet. She dressed in her bra and a pair of lace boyshorts when she heard her iFruit phone ring.

She moved quickly into the living room and picked up her phone from off the book case. The number on the screen on the phone was listed as Unknown. Curious, she answered.

"Hello?"

"Hello, this is a representative of RESP♺WN calling to notify Mrs. Terra Frye Haywood that she has completed the Sequestered Rank-Frame. Mrs. Haywood is now a member of the general RESP♺WN public of this world. Have wonderful lives." The voice on the other line was familiar, but she couldn't place the voice.

The call was like a punch in the gut. Terra raced to her office and she woke up her computer. She pulled up the map program and she saw them. They were all bunched in one area in the Vinewood Hills, but there were 17 little blips. Each of the little blips on the map were a different color compared to her's and they each had a different name above them: BrownMan, CoolCaiti, BM_Vagabond. What kind of names were these? But she knew. Terra knew that one of these blips were her husband Ryan. She looked at her own blip, and saw the name that she had apparently chosen: B0MBSH3LL.

Terra was up and moving again, running back to her closet. She got dressed quickly, pulling on a pair of black jeans, a pair of well worn utility boots, and a black tanktop. Checking her inventory, she requested a bullet proof vest and she pulled it on when it appeared. She grabbed her oversized hoodie, and strode over to her elevator.

As she rode the elevator down to her garage, she pulled on the pair of fingerless gloves and slid the hoody on. Terra exited the elevator and strode over to one of her four motorcycles. She was in the public world now, and she had this feeling that she had to be fast if she didn't want to be constantly respawning. She chose her most recent purchase, a Pegassi Bati 801. It was black with a race blue pearlescent sheen. It was her fastest bike.

Terra pulled her bike forward, stopping just outside of the garage door. She did a quick sweep with her eyes, taking in her surroundings. She noticed a security camera that had been slowly oscillating, stopped and focused on her. So, they were watching? That suited her just fine. She made a motion and as the dull silver latex mask appeared in her hand, she bent over so that she could slide the mask over her face.

As she put the mask on, she felt like she was coming home. It wasn't the first time she wore the mask since she had RESP♺WN'd, but some how it felt different from before. It felt like it did when Ryan was alive. Terra knew in her gut that that was the reason why it was different. Ryan was in this world.  She knew that he was one of ones on the other side of that camera.

She finished tucking her hair into the mask as she sat up, and stared straight into that camera. _I know you're here, Ryan. Come and find me._ Terra spotted a pedestrian staring at her, and she motioned for her flare gun. A few seconds later, the sounds of screams filled the air. A quick motion of her fingers again, and her pistol found it's way into her hands. She aimed at the camera and pulled the trigger. She heard the camera shatter, and Terra put her pistol away.

Terra revved the engine of her motorcycle as she heard the sirens of the police in the distance. Terra drove away from the sirens, her stomach in knots, not knowing what today was going to bring.

 

* * *

 

Ryan knew his wife. Terra would want him to chase her down, to play the game of hide and seek that they had been playing since they were children. When they were children, she would hide in small places where he couldn’t always get to. When they were teenagers, she would always retreat into her closet, where Ryan could only pull her out. When they got married, she always hid in places he could easily find her, without a stitch of clothing on.

But it was different now after RESP♺WN. They didn’t have the small caves, the closet or the variouÇs places around their home where she could hide. So he waited her out. Terra would run around Los Santos and Blaine County trying to find the right place to hide, but Ryan wouldn’t seek her out. She’d have to come to him.

So Ryan waited. He leaned against his Zentorno parked at the small overlook in Paleto Cove where he could watch the sun slowly disappear from the sky and hear the waves crash into the rocks. When he got there, he took off his facepaint. He took his time removing the paint, since he knew it would be awhile before Terra would get there.

The sun was slowly sinking into the horizon when Terra finally showed up. If she was honest with herself, she was slightly upset with Ryan for not chasing after her. She spent the day out in Sandy Shores, chilling with the hippies out at Beam Me Up waiting on Ryan to find her. But when he didn’t show, Terra checked the map her phone. The other blips on the map were spread out, but stayed within the city limits. The only other blip that was out in Blaine County with her was BM_Vagabond, which had to be Ryan. So Terra made her way through Raton Canyon to the overlook in Paleto Cove.

The hurricane of butterflies made their way back into the pit of her stomach as she dismounted her bike. The gravel crunched under her boots as Terra cautiously drew nearer to Ryan. She noticed small little changes in him. His dirty blonde hair was much longer than it used to be. It was currently loose and tangled, with a dent towards the ends from where the hair tie had kept it together. Stepping closer, Terra watched as he ran his right hand through his hair like he always did when he was nervous, and she noticed he had tattoos on his knuckles. He didn’t have them the last time they saw each other.

With a shaky breath, and tears threatening to fall, Terra stopped five feet of him. “Hey.”

“Hey dear.” Ryan’s voice was shaky, chock full of emotions. He moved from where he was leaning against his car, turning to face her. And there she was. Tears were falling steadily from Terra’s eyes, and to Ryan, there wasn’t anything more beautiful in the world than this moment.

Desperation and need raged in Terra’s belly, and she found herself running to him. She jumped into his outstretched arms, her legs encircling his waist. Terra’s lips crashed into Ryan’s, a kiss that had been so full of passion that it literally brought Ryan to his knees. Terra let out a watery laugh as they tumbled to the ground. Ryan repositioned themselves so he was sitting leaned up against his car, with Terra straddling him.

Terra rested her hands on his scruffy face, where she proceeded to shower kisses all over his face. Ryan drew her as close to him as he could and tried to catch each one of those kisses that he'd been deprived of for so long. They broke only for air, feeling like they were drowning in each other. They stayed like that as the sky darkened and the stars came out.

When Ryan brought both of his hands to cup Terra’s cheeks, Terra rested her hands on top of his. When she leaned into his touch, Ryan wiped her tears away with his thumbs.

“No,” she softly whined. “I’m a mess.”

“You’re beautiful.” Ryan gently corrected her. “And you’re my mess.”

A small chuckle escaped Terra. "You're my mess too." She pulled away from him slightly, trying to dry her face. She looked at the scenery around them, the cool wind from the ocean sending a chill through her. She turned back to Ryan, who'd taken the chance to dry his face as well. "So are we just going to stay like this forever?"

He shook his head and flashed her a quick smile. "Well, technically we're immortal now, right?"

Terra gave him a light smack to his shoulder. "No, we're not immortal now. We can die very easily. We just don't stay dead." She paused for moment. A thought struck her like lightning. She grabbed his left hand, holding it between them. "I, Terra, promise to never kill you in anger or in spite. I promise, that if I have to kill you, it will be as swift as possible. I promise to forgive you if ever have to kill me. I promise that I'll always come to your aid when requested."

Ryan let out a small laugh. "Updating our wedding vows? Til death do us part doesn't quite work here does it?" It was a rhetorical question, of course. Ryan held her left hand as he repeated the vows back to her, kissing the knuckle of her naked ring finger. He'd have to get her another ring, he thought while he held her hand.

Terra shifted so she was no longer straddling him, but sitting beside him. She dusted the dirt and small pieces of gravel off of her knees as Ryan put his arm around her. "As much as I love watching the ocean at night, can we go home?" Terra asked him, snuggling into his side for warmth. "Cuddling in a warm bed is so much better than cuddling on the cold ground."

"Sure, we can go home." A bed sounded perfect to him. Then he remembered Terra's motorcycle. He pulled out his phone. "Since I don't think either of us wants to separate yet, do you want to do about your motorcycle?"

"Can you spare 2000 dollars?" She asked, which was quickly followed by: "That will cover the insurance cost for the motorcycle. You blow it up, pay the replacement fee, and a replacement will be delivered to my garage in the morning."

With a sigh and a shake of his head, Ryan stood up. He brushed the dirt from his pants. He extended his hand to help pull Terra up from the ground. "Huh, I was just going to call one of my crew members to come pick it up. Blowing it up is a much quicker option."

Taking his hand, Terra stood. "Plus, I'm not quite ready to share you with other people just yet." Terra watched as Ryan moved her motorcycle closer to the cliff edge. He placed a sticky bomb on the gas tank, and jogged back over to where Terra was standing by his car. Ryan's large and calloused hand found Terra's.

When Ryan's hand squeezed Terra's, the bomb exploded. They stood there, holding hands while watching burning motorcycle fall into the ocean below. Both Terra and Ryan's phones went off, the notification saying that Ryan would pay for her replacement vehicle.

The moment passed and the couple stood there in silence. The silence was broken by a slow crescendo of laughter coming from Terra. Ryan looked down at his wife, her face was alight with pure joy.

"What's so funny, Mrs. Haywood?"

"If this was Georgia, I would have skinned you alive!" Her laughter was infectious as he thought about what she just said. A laugh from deep in his belly erupted.

"I would've been on the couch for like a week!" Ryan lead her over to the passenger side door, opening it for her. Terra slid down into the deep black and green seat in the Zentorno. She waited as he closed the door and got in on the driver's side.

With the turn of a key, the high end sports car purred to life. The lights from the dash and the radio light up the small car interior in a mix of blues and greens. Terra watched as he manually drove the car from off the access road back onto the highway. The radio played softly in the background as Terra just watched him as he drove. A few minutes into the two hour drive back to Los Santos, Terra spoke up again.

"So, what's with the Gent tattoo on your knuckles?" The interior lights gave off just enough light for her to notice the tattoo again. The hand in question moved from the shifter to rest on her thigh.

"Ah, I'm a gentleman?" Ryan joked, knowing the look his wife was giving him even though he was focused on the road. "No, its something the guys in my crew came up with. It's a long story."

Terra placed her hand on Ryan's. "We are 10 minutes into a 2 hour drive, so unless you want me to fall asleep, you best start talking, Ryan Haywood. Including why I saw you with 16 other people on the map, this morning."

"Alright, Alright. Well, the story of how the crew got together goes all the way back to 2003." Ryan wove the tale of the Fake AH Crew and how it all started. He talked about each of the members of the crew, how they got there, the intricate nature of the the various team relationships. The things that they all did, the various heists, the crazy hairbrained ideas that they came up with up, all to keep them from getting bored.

"So let me get this straight. Y'all got the word Gents and Lads tattooed on your knuckles because those are the two teams you always split into?" Terra asked, tracing her fingers along the inked skin. "And the Lads have theirs tattooed on their left hands?"

"Yeah." There was a comfortable silence as Ryan weaved the car in and out of traffic. "So, did you get any new tattoos in the past few years, or am I the only one with new ink?"

"I was going to let you find that out for yourself." Terra teased. She loved pushing his buttons. They had reached Los Santos, quickly making their way through the winding hills in Richman. They arrived at the Tower, with the garage door opening automatically so Ryan could park his car in the one available slot.

Terra was quick and as soon as the car was turned off, she was getting out of the Zentorno, looking at Ryan's collection of vehicles. Ryan got out of the Zentorno as well, watching her with his hands in his pockets.

"Jeeze Ryan, got enough cars? I mean, I know you don't have to compensate for anything." Terra said, spinning to look at him with a smile. With one look, a wave of need and desire washed over her and her breath caught in her throat. Terra took in the sight of him, pure muscle wrapped up in a leather jacket and jeans packaging. There was a passionate fire that had ignited in his cool blue eyes. She walked over to him, biting her lip as she studied him.

Ryan looked down at her, the 8 inch difference in their height seemed more pronounced than ever. Taking a hand out of his pocket, he moved to clasp her chin, but she moved out of his reach. Terra sauntered over the elevator, unfastening the buttons on her hoodie. Ryan watched as she slid out of the jacket, seeing the bulletproof vest underneath it. He followed her into the elevator car when the doors had opened, mashing the button for his apartment.

The doors closed, and he pounced. His lips were on hers, his hands were ripping at the velcro on her bulletproof vest. Once the offending object was off, it disappeared before it hit the ground. Terra's hands found their way into his hair. With the small bounce the elevator gave as it reached it's destination, Terra jumped slightly so that she was once again straddling Ryan, his large hands holding her up. The elevator doors opened and Ryan moved them out.

They fumbled down the hallway to Ryan's apartment, hitting the wall a few times down the way, hushed giggles from being drunk on passion. Ryan's coordination only went so far, and before they could make it to Ryan's door, they fell in a heap on the floor. Terra broke out in an uncontrollable laughter, with Ryan shushing at her to be quiet. The couple didn't realize how loud they were being until they heard someone clear their throat and a small giggle.

Stood in the only other doorway in the hall was a pajama clad Puerto Rican with a game controller in one hand and a pistol in the other. Beside him was a shorter woman of Latin descent in pajamas as well. Ryan stood up and unlocked his apartment. He picked up a bright red Terra bridal style, nodding to the couple from the apartment. The female gave a short wave and male rolled his eyes as they closed their door.

Ryan with a devilish grin on his face looked at the still blushing Terra. He carried her into the apartment, kicking the door closed with his foot. Terra scanned the apartment, taking in the design.

"Terra?" Terra focused back on Ryan as he walked down the small flight of stairs in the apartment. "Haywood you blow me?"

Terra just howled with laughter as Ryan took her to bed.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I'm just getting started, but I just really wanted to thank everyone who's read this story so far. These characters have been in my head for a while, I just never really got around to writing it all out.


	4. Domesticity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terra and Ryan start the day with a bang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did someone ask for smut? Because I have some for y'all.

Terra jolted awake as thunder rolled across the sky, shaking the building. She woke alone, the bed cold and empty. The morning fog of sleep cleared from her head when she realized the bed she was in wasn’t hers. She relaxed, curling into the luxurious Egyptian cotton sheets. The faint smell of lavender and chamomile lingered on the pillows, a secret that had been passed down the Haywood lines for years.

Thunder shook the building again. Curious, Terra crawled out of the bed. She opened the heavy blackout curtains that covered the entire wall, exposing window glass that was currently being pelted with heavy raindrops. She watched as the rain fell and lightning streaked across the sky. The view of the Vinewood Hills was obstructed by thenasty weather.

The bedroom door clicked open, Ryan walked in with two cups of coffee in hand. He studied her for a moment before setting the coffee cups down on the bedside table. Neither of them had bothered putting on any clothes since last night. Ryan moved to where she was, leaning down to kiss the forget-me-not flowers that she were tattooed across her shoulders.

“Mornin’.” She melted when she felt his broad hands grip her hips. Terra brought her hands up to tug at his hair. Ryan kisses moved from her shoulders to the crook of her neck. She let out a small moan as she felt Ryan harden behind her.

Ryan hands left Terra’s hips only to move in opposite directions. One hand ghosted from from her hip to her breast, her skin slowly turning into gooseflesh. He teased her with broad strokes of his thumb and quick pinches. His other hand trailed downward, sliding over her wet slit. It caused a chain reaction where Terra let out breathy moan of his name and arched her back in just the right way. Ryan stopped what he was doing and moved both of his hands to cover Terra’s, which were still in his hair.

With a step, Ryan moved them closer to the open window, the rain still coming down. He took both of Terra’s wrists in one hand and pinned them to the glass. Terra was pressed against the window, the cold making her already hard nipples harder. Ryan’s free hand stroked her spine, pausing to smack the cheek of her ass. Terra hummed in happiness and Ryan watched as her short panting breaths fogged the window.

Terra called out his name again when he stroked the head of his cock along her wet slit. Ryan teased her never once entering her. The wetness and the friction was driving Terra mad. Terra whimpered, trying desperately to position herself so that Ryan would enter her. But her wrists were still pinned, and Ryan’s body framed her’s so she couldn’t move. Ryan chuckled deeply, which was followed by a sharp but quick bite to her shoulder.

“Ryan, please!” Terra begged.

Ryan paused, moving so that his mouth was at Terra’s ear. “Ryan what?” He took her earlobe in his mouth.

“Fuck, God, Ryan.” Terra moaned.

Ryan let go of her wrists, stepping slightly back, chuckling.. “What an interesting combination.”

Terra turned around to face him, biting her already bruised lips. Ryan moved to embrace her, his hands sliding down the curve of her ass to cup her cheeks. Terra leaned into him, pressing her lips into his, opening them for him to dart his tongue in. Ryan lifted her, pinning her against the glass once more. Terra’s arms wrapped around his neck as her legs locked around his waist. With a swift move, he plunged his cock into her.

She moaned against his lips, her nails digging into his back with each thrust into her. Terra broke the kiss, bringing her hands to cup his face. She rested her forehead on his, bottle green eyes staring into foggy blue ones. Fueled by the intensity of the stare, Ryan increased his pace, every thrust hitting her core.

The heat that had been pooling in Terra’s belly ignited and spread like wildfire. Her breathy moans became shrieks of pleasure as Ryan pounded into her. Terra screamed his name as she came, hard and fast. The quivering aftershocks of her orgasm had Ryan tipping over his own edge. Like a man possessed, he pumped his hips like he was trying to leave a permanent tattoo as he came.

Breathing heavy, Terra wrapped her arms around Ryan's neck when he pulled his softening cock out and shifted so he could rest his head on her shoulder while he caught his bearings. "If we keep going like this, we're going to kill ourselves." His voice was muffled against her breast.

"Well, technically we're immortal now, right?" Giggling, Terra threw Ryan's words from the night before right back at him. Ryan huffed, carrying Terra into the bathroom.

"That would be the best way to go right? If it was going to be permanent, that is." Ryan said thoughtfully, as he set Terra down in the shower. He turned on the two waterfall shower heads on to a cool temperature.

"Yeah, it couldn't happen here anyway. Not unless it was some sort of erotic asphyxiation or blood play gone wrong type deals." Terra ducked her head under the cool water, slicking her hair back. She opened one of her eyes to look at Ryan. "Please tell me those haven't become 'things' for you."

A deep laugh erupted from Ryan as he moved shampoo her hair for her. He had missed pampering and taking care of her. "No? Why do you ask?"

"Remind me to tell you the story about the time I found Peake behind the Peach going to town on a street worker who od'd half way through it."

"Wait, what?" Ryan stopped massaging the shampoo in her hair to look at her. "I think you have time to tell that story now, dear."

The giggles came out slowly at first. "I know I shouldn't laugh and it's not funny, but Peake was on a job and somehow got his hands on some E. And you know how Peake is, super quiet. Small, Dark and Brooding, right? Well, on his way back to the Peach, he decided he was going to relax after this job with some paid puss." Ryan nodded as she told the story, done with shampooing her hair.

“Well, the girl found the E, and took a bunch when Peake wasn’t paying attention. Now, you remember how Peake’s was all about doing it in all sorts of places right?” Terra asked as she rinsed her hair.

“Just like us.” Ryan smirked,  moving to grab a bottle of body wash, squirting some soap into his hands before massaging the soap onto Terra’s skin.

“Yeah, just like us. Well, Peak takes the girl out back because she’s gotten all hot and bothered, like you do on E. Well, Peake’s doing his thing, got her bent over the front of his car, when she overheats. So I hear this loud ass scream from behind the club, we didn’t have the music on yet for the night, and I go outside with your grandma’s revolver in my hand. And I find Peake, sitting on the ground with his dick hard as a rock, and this girl, with her eyes all glassy, her face melting onto his car.”

“Slow down a second. Let me get this right.” Ryan said as he nudged her under the showerhead to rinse off. “The prostitute took more E than she should have, which cooked her insides, right?” When Terra nodded he continued. “Then I’m assuming this took place in the summer where it had to be 100 degrees out, plus if Peake still had the car I remember him having, that thing used to run so hot you could fry eggs on it.”

“Yup.” Terra interrupted him. “And by the time he realized she wasn’t responding or hell, breathing, he had already come. When I walked out he had just pulled out when he realized that she was dead.” Ryan's laughter erupted and echoed around the bathroom. Terra rolled her eyes, lathering up soap in her hands so she could wash him.

"So, there I was, standing in the back door of the strip club with a gun in hand, with Peake screaming his head off. Kovic and Willems comes up behind me, pushing past me to see what's going on. The next thing I know those two are screaming for the guys, laughing and calling Peake a necrophiliac. Now I've got 6 idiots laughing their asses off, in various places on the ground, with Peake just sitting there shell shocked, no longer screaming, with a wilting dick. And a body to get rid of." She poked him in his stomach, pushing him under the water for him to rinse.

"What did you do with the body?" Ryan asked as he washed his hair.

"Kovic and I put the body in the trunk of the car, loaded the thing with all the C4 that we could find on such a short notice and we blew it up." She said as Ryan finished up, and turned the shower heads off. They got out, Ryan passing her a towel to dry off. There was a comfortable silence between the two as they dried themselves.

Terra sat on the edge of the bathtub watching Ryan as he pulled his hair back into a low ponytail. "What made you decide to grow your hair out?"

He looked at her through the mirror. "I didn't have anyone to impress, to be honest."

"I quit dancing." The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could've stopped it. She looked down at the hands in her lap, her wet hair covering her face. "There were a lot of reasons why I used to, I enjoyed the attention, I liked doing it. I liked the legitimate money I made from it. I don't know what it was, but I couldn't do it after you left. Something broke in me when you weren't there."

Ryan sat down beside her. "Something broke in me too." His hands covered hers when a monstrous growl interrupted them. "Was that your stomach?"

"I haven't ate in the past 24 hours?"

"Jesus, Terra." Ryan said shaking his head. He stood up knowing the moment had passed for now. He walked to the closet to fish out some clothes to wear. Terra followed him, wrapped in her towel. Ryan rummaged around the large walk in closet for something suitable for Terra to wear. He found a pair of sweatpants and the cat shirt and pressed them into her hands. “Put these on and go back to your place to get ready. I’m taking you out on a date.”

Terra let the towel drop, quickly putting the shirt and sweats on. She gave Ryan a quick peck on the cheek then ran out of the bedroom. She glanced around the living room for her hoodie and wasn’t surprised to see their clothes littering the apartment from the night before. She found the hoodie and took her keys and her phone from out the pocket.

She walked to the door of the apartment, and with a short shout of goodbye, she exited the apartment. Down the hall, she saw a couple enter the opening elevator doors.

“Hey, could y’all hold the elevator please?” She called out to them, jogging down the hallway. The man held the door with his hand as she entered the car. “Thanks!”

“What floor?” The woman asked.

“Four, please.” Terra actually looked at the couple she was sharing the elevator with, and saw it was the same couple from last night. A quick flash of embarrassment caused her freckled cheeks to flush. “Um, sorry if my husband and I disturbed y’all last night.”

The couple smiled at each other as the doors of the elevator opened on Terra’s floor and she stepped out. “No, its okay. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ryan without his facepaint.” The woman commented causing Terra to turn around as the doors were closing.

The man was waving, both of them with sly smiles on their faces as the door shut. “See you on Sunday, Terra.”

Dumbfounded, Terra walked to her door and unlocked it. She shook herself out of her reverie and rushed to get ready. Her wet and tangled hair had been tamed and dried, in it’s signature bob. Makeup had been applied, a dark smokey eye with winged eyeliner, blood red lipstick stained her lips. She made her way to her closet, and shimmied into a dress. It was a little black dress, sleeveless with the straps crisscrossing over her exposed back. Black platform heels were chosen and put on. She grabbed a small spiked clutch for her phone and keys.

Terra was locking the apartment when she heard the elevator doors open. Terra turned and watched as Ryan strode out, looking like some sort of fallen angel. He knew how to dress, a dark blue button down shirt was tucked into a pair of dark wash jeans. He had his shirt sleeves rolled, exposing his muscular forearms. The carpet of the hall silenced the fall of his boot covered feet. He held a light gray blazer in his hands as he came up to Terra.

“Ready Mrs Haywood?”

“Always.”

 

 


	5. Date Day

“Tell me why! Ain’t nothin’ but a heartache! Tell me why! Ain’t nothin’ but a mistake!” The radio in the Zentorno was cranked all the way up, the bass reverberating throughout the car. The thunderstorm that raged earlier this morning gave way to cloudless skies and sunshine. True to form, traffic was a beast. They were stopped, jamming out to the song on the radio. Ryan smoothly handled the beast of the car with one hand, his other hand resting on Terra’s thigh. Terra was dancing in her seat, belting out the words of the song. 

The light turned, and Ryan steered the car into the thick of the traffic. The Zentorno had the other cars shifting out if its way like Moses parting the Red Sea. There wasn’t another car within a five foot bubble of the car. The sleek car was black as night with the crew’s signature green used in its secondary colors. The windows were tinted, blacked out completely. People didn’t want to look at the Vagabond’s car, knowing that one wrong move could mean the end of their life. 

The song ended and faded into a new one as they slowly made their way through traffic. They finally made their way to Portola Drive. The Zentorno commanded attention from the pedestrians walking by, sliding into an open parking spot that had been hastily vacated. Ryan turned off the car, and stepped out. Pedestrians had stopped to look at the car, watching the man who was driving the Vagabond’s car. 

Ryan crossed in front on the parked car, moving to open Terra’s door. Terra swiveled so both of her feet were planted firmly on the asphalt, and stood, taking Ryan’s proffered hand. Pedestrians stood there watching the couple, an aura of power and elegance rippling off them. It confused the pedestrians. The Vagabond’s Zentorno were symbols of all of those things, but fear and loathing were normally also associated with it. 

Ryan offered the crook of his elbow to Terra, who slipped her hand under his arm to rest on his forearm. They shared a mischievous smirk, before leaving the car, the click of Terra’s heels the only sound other than the ambient traffic noise. The people watching them couldn’t believe their eyes. What person in their right mind had the audacity to steal from the Vagabond, and to flaunt it so close to the territory of the Fake AH Crew? The man had a death wish, and the woman on his arm would suffer for it. 

“I just hate it when people stare.” Ryan complained, watching the people on the street looking at him like he was crazy as he and Terra walked down the street to Cafe Redemption. He looked each of them in the eye until they turned away. 

“James Ryan, don’t you dare!” Terra rolled her eyes, amused and annoyed at the same time. They walked into the small cafe, getting into the line. “Today is our Date Day. I really don’t want to have to deal with the cops today.” Terra stepped forward in the line, giving her order, white chocolate mocha with extra whipped cream and a strawberry muffin. Ryan followed up with his, dark roast coffee with a bagel. The barista took their payment from Ryan. Ryan placed his hand on the small of Terra’s back and led them to a small table at the back of the cafe. 

“But we can always call Lester, Terra.” He told her as he pulled out the chair for her. She sat and crossed her legs. 

“Not if I want to get perved on by Lester Crest. He’s worse than Philips, and you know how Philips treats the girls down at the Vanilla Unicorn.” Terra sighed, recalling the girls she used to manage at the Peach. “Besides, I have an even better plan for today.” 

Ryan gave her a quizzical look, tilting his head slightly to the side, his hair falling over his shoulders. The barista brought them their order, Terra and Ryan thanking her as she set it on the table. As the barista walked away, Ryan brought the steaming cup of black coffee to his lips. “What do you mean, better plan?” 

Terra smiled as she gently blew on her coffee. “Well, today’s plan was to walk around Portola, do some shopping for a bit, then tattoos and dinner correct?” She took a sip as he nodded. “Well, we do need to replace our wedding rings-” 

“Hence the reason why we’re shopping off Portola Drive.” Ryan interrupted. “We’re still going to Vangelico, correct?” 

“Correct, but lets have our cake and eat it too. First, we’ll go to the store, pick out our rings, and this time, we’ll actually buy them.” 

“Really? The Haywood nor the Frye families have bought their wedding rings in the past couple of generations. It’s tradition to steal the wedding bands in our families.” Ryan frowned.

“Oh, we’re still stealing them, Ryan, we’re just going to get more bang for our buck.” Terra said, patting his hand that he was resting on the table. “We’ll buy the rings. If we don’t find what we need today, then we’ll get them done custom, which surprisingly might only take a day at the max. This gives us more time to plan. When we are at the store, we’ll do as previously planned, casing out the security systems. Once our rings are available to be picked up, which we tell the jeweler that we’ll pick them up the next day.” She paused taking a small bite from her muffin, Ryan picking up where she left off.

“Then, we break into the jewelry store, stealing our rings, as well as everything else. We get the money refunded back from Vangelico for our rings, and then we hawk the other jewels, black market style.”

“Well, maybe not all of them. If there is anything else I like, I’m keeping it. I need a good pair of pearl earrings.” Terra said, polishing of the muffin.

“Yeah, it’s true that you can’t take it with you.” Ryan paused, pulling apart his bagel. “I like it, ambitious and a strange homage to our grandmothers.” 

“It’s not strange, it’s the exact thing, only Grannie Velvalee and Grandma Lavinia didn’t bother with stealing anything that wasn’t their wedding rings, or anything like that. They only broke into the store because they both couldn’t wait.” Terra shook her head, remembering how the two grandmother’s sat her down to teach her how to bake homemade biscuits when they told her that story. “Emptying the store just adds icing to that cake.” 

"A very sweet cake at that. The only other additional costs would be Lester's fee to move the jewelry." Ryan finished his bagel, wiping his mouth with a napkin. He watched her as she brought her cup of coffee to her mouth with both of her hands. A feeling of deja vu swept over Ryan as she looked up him mid-sip. It had been years ago, where they had sat in the back of a small cafe just like this.

It had always shook him to his core. The depth of love he felt for Terra. He was drowning in it when the clatter of Terra setting down her coffee cup onto the table shook him from his reverie. She leaned forward into her seat, elbows on the table, her chin resting on her latticed hands. Terra watched all the different emotions ran over Ryan's face with a small smile. 

Ryan caught her staring, her smile growing wider as he felt his face go flush. She laughed, and with a shake of her head, stood up, clearing the table of their used cutlery. Ryan sighed, and got up when she started to walk towards the exit. 

"What's your rush?" He asked, his hand finding hers. 

"You are literally the cutest thing in the world. I had to get out of there before I died from the cuteness." She said, squeezing his hand with hers. They continued to stroll down the small side street. As the neared the jewelry store, they slipped into the comfortable silence that had been their pre-job ritual for years. 

From there, they worked in an efficient concerto. Terra approached the saleswoman, misty eyed as she relayed the story of how the two were mugged and their rings were stolen. Ryan silently cased the store, mentally notating the positions of the security camera, which were encased with bullet proof glass. By the time he was done, Terra had the empathetic saleswoman lapping up the story like ice cream. 

Ryan joined Terra and the jeweler, squeezing Terra’s hand, a small hint to tell her that he was done gathering intel. The jeweler led them to a case of rings, intent on showing them the stock of the store. He heard Terra tell the jeweler exactly what she was looking for, a rose gold wedding ring set. The engagement ring was to be a rose gold band, with a black diamond in a halo setting with surrounding black diamonds. The two other rings, a wedding band and an anniversary band were to be simple rose gold bands with pave inlays of black diamonds. Ryan smiled, recalling that the rings she described were an exact match for the rings he stole for her 8 years ago. 

Ryan heard that Terra was in luck with the rings. The store had a similar setting in rose gold, but would only have to change the stones and sizing if needed. The jeweler sized Terra’s ringfinger, writing down the order. Ryan turned to face the jeweler describing the ring that Terra had designed for him, a wide band of black titanium with a smaller thin band of rose gold inlayed into the ring. Again, there was something similar at the store but some minor changes needed to be made in order to meet the Haywood’s standards. 

They left the store, passing the security guard posted at the door after they paid for the rings. Once outside, they meandered along the street, walking into the various stores, purchasing various different things. 

Ryan was sitting in the seating area of the Anna Rex waiting on Terra to try on a few dresses when he received a call. Terra’s head poked out from behind the curtains, a curious look on her face as he answered the phone.

“Haywood.”

“Ryan! What are you doing? I think someone’s stolen your Zentorno.” Geoff’s cracked voice came through the phone. Terra smiled as Ryan rolled his eyes at her. She motioned for him to join her in the dressing room for a bit more privacy. 

“No one stole my Zentorno, Geoff. It’s right where it’s supposed to be, where I left it.” Ryan talked into the phone, watching his wife shimmy into another black dress. He helped her zip it up, and watched her judge the dress in the mirror. 

“Are you sure? Steffie says there’s been reports of man and a woman stepping out of the car and leaving it parked there.” Ryan watched as Terra shook her head at the dress, not liking the fit, and moved to unzip the dress, pressing a kiss onto her shoulder blade. 

“Geoff, I’m sure. I left it parked there.” Ryan said, amused at Geoff. Terra put the dress back onto the hanger, and pressed her lips into the crook of Ryan’s neck.

“Wait, are you with your wife? Terra, right?” 

“Yes Geoff.” 

“And you’re not wearing a mask or your face paint?” 

“No Geoff. I can go out and dress like a normal person every once in a while.” Ryan rolled his eyes.”I’m hanging up now.” 

“Oi! Barbeque this Sunday, hideout house, bring Terra and something to eat!” Geoff rattled off as Ryan hung up the phone. 

“What was that at the end?” Terra asked, getting dressed in her clothes. 

“Eh, Geoff and Griffon started this thing, that after someone new RESP♺WN’s here, we have a barbeque, so everyone can get to know the new person. Everyone brings something, food or drinks, and Geoff always grills out. If the weather’s nice, it turns into a pool party.” Ryan explained as they exited the dressing room, Terra only coming out with one dress out of the three she tried on. 

“So we need to bring a something. What do you normally bring?” 

“Grandma Lavinia’s Non Lethal Cookies.” Terra laughed as she purchased the dress. She was still laughing by the time they exited the store. “Hey! At least I don’t add the Ricin to the recipe, and no one know’s they are home made.” 

“Your Grandma Lavinia killed at least 30 people with her cookies, Ryan.” They were walking back to Ryan’s Zentorno, that hadn’t moved an inch from where he parked it earlier. There was no ticking heard as he opened the door, so he knew that the crew hadn’t fucked with it. Terra slid into the car, setting her bag in the floor by her feet. 

“Look, if Grandma Lavinia didn’t kill those people, you nor I would be where we are today.” Ryan said, getting into the car and starting it up. The car roared to life, and Ryan set a course to the nearest tattoo shop. “I mean, who on Earth kidnaps the sons of the Haywood and Frye families? They had a death wish.” 

“I know, I know. The Haywood’s and Frye’s have been at war with the Tomlin’s for generations. I’m not saying she didn’t have a reason. I’m just saying let’s bring something else than Grandma Lavinia’s cookies.” Terra said, watching the world pass by. 

“Can’t. Those guys are addicted to them now. I get complaints-” Ryan’s phone buzzed with a text message. He passed the phone to Terra. “See?”

The message was from a person named Lindsay. “Ryan, make sure you bring those cookies you always get!” Another message popped up while the phone was still in Terra’s hands. This one was from a Michael. “Seriously dude, where do you get those cookies?” 

“Let me guess, it’s Michael and Lindsay reminding me to bring the cookies.” Ryan asked as he battled with the Los Santos traffic. 

“Yeah. Fine, bring Lavinia’s cookies. I’m bringing sweet tea.” Terra decided. She fiddled with the radio, searching for a decent station to listen to while they drove to the Tattoo Parlor. 

“So, are we going to go in with an idea of what kind of tattoo we want, or we going to make it up as we go along?” She asked. She heard him hum in thought. “Oh! I know!” She exclaimed as they made their way through traffic.

“What?” 

“Remember how Kovic and the gang used to call you the Mad King?” Terra asked, barreling into her explanation. “We should get crowns. Like a King’s Crown for you, and a Queen’s crown for me. And we can add our anniversary in roman numerals under it.” 

“I still can’t believe that Kovic used to call me that.” Ryan said, shaking his head. “I have no idea where he got that. I mean, I’m no King.” 

“I don’t know, You were the crown prince of crime for a while there.” Terra laughed. “You do give off this regal vibe sometimes.” 

“In another life, maybe.” Ryan said, parking the Zentorno in front of the tattoo parlor. 

They came out the building four hours later, holding hands, with bandages on the side of their necks. The tattoo artist had waived them out the door, getting into the car to head to their next destination. 

“I like him. You said he did the Gents tattoo for you,Geoff and Jack, right?” Terra asked, gently touching the bandage on the left side of her neck. 

“Yeah. He does all of Geoff and Griffon’s tattoos. But I don’t think he’s better than Rubin.” Ryan said as he drove them to their final destination of the night, Viendemorte, for dinner. The drive was short, as the traffic had eased up for the night. 

They stood outside the restaurant, waiting in the cool Los Santos evening to be seated. They were chatting, talking of unimportant things when a wave of paranoia washed over Ryan. The hairs on the back of neck had stood up, the feeling of being watched increased. He tuned out Terra to try to find the source of his unease. The hand he used to hold Terra’s hand dropped hers, moving to the small of her back to keep her close and protect her. 

“Ryan?” Terra picked up on the atmosphere, taking in her own surroundings. 

There was a screech of tires on the pavement. A gun went off with a crack. Pedestrians screamed and ran. Ryan watched as a jeep pulled up in front of the restaurant. Ryan heard the gun go off before he saw it. He felt Terra slack beside him, the hand he touched her with now holding her up. He turned to look at her. 

Her bright green eyes had already gone dull, her mouth open in a small circle. A trail of dark red blood trickled down her face from the bullet hole in her head. For Ryan, time seemed to stop still as he went to put her down, before she flashed out of existence. In shock and devastated, Ryan turned to the mercenaries in the jeep with their guns still in their hands. A second later, the black skull mask was in his hands, being slid into place over his head. 

“You interrupted my date with my wife. You must have a death wish.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to continue to thank everyone who has read this story so far. Also, I'm sorry for the slight delay. My dog, Bird, passed away on Monday.


	6. How's Your Head?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's never been any complaints.

Terra felt herself waking up. The smell of burning bodies and gasoline filled her lungs. Screams of terror and the screech of sirens filled the air. When Terra opened her eyes, the world was on fire. Terra took a quick inventory of her body: toes, check. Legs, check. Fingers, Check. Her neck was still sore, so the fresh tattoo wasn't gone after her RESP♺WN. She woke up with a killer headache, and when she went to touch her head, she felt a trail of blood that had dried and cracked on her face. 

Terra absolutely hated dying. With a grimace, she pulled out her phone. A quick shift through her contacts had her dialing a number she hated calling. 

"Well, well, well. Isn't it the beautiful B0MBSH3LL? What can I do for you?" Lester Crest's voice was like expired snake oil. 

"Who the fuck put a bounty on me Crest? And why the fuck did I not know about it?" Terra all but shouted, her head pounding from the phantom pains of the bullet to the brain. She heard another explosion, and started the trek towards the commotion in 6 inch platform heels at a brisk pace. 

"But Terra, I did tell you. But I've got reports coming in that once again, no one's collecting. Can I guess you evaded them again? Or what's this? There are reports that the silent skull, BM_Vagabond massacred the whole troop of mercenaries that were sent out after you? Why would the Vagabond be going after mercs that aren't after Fake AH?" Crest prattled on, clicking away at the keyboard. 

"They interrupted our date." Terra turned a corner, trying to get back to the main street. 

"What? Date? Why the fuck are you going anywhere near the Vagabond?" Lester wheezed. Terra heard him fumble for his inhaler. 

"Oh, Crest. You have your ear to the criminal underground at all times. What's the Vagabond's last name?" She asked him, closing the gap between herself, the explosions and the sirens. 

"Haywood. Why?" 

"Haywood you look at that? That's my last name too. Terra Frye Haywood." When she heard his wheezing get harder, the laugh that came out of her was explosive and maniacal. "Put the word out, Crest." She hung up the phone, and put it away as she approached the area. 

In the middle of the street was a smoldering husk of a jeep, with half burned bodies scattered around. The EMS workers did their best for those who had been caught in the crossfire, the Fire Department putting away the used firehoses. The police that were left in the area were trying to get some sort of evidence, but they weren’t going to find anything. One of the perks of RESP♺WN was there were never any fingerprints left behind. 

“Can you believe it? The fucking Vagabond!” Terra overheard one of the detectives speaking to one of the EMS workers. “Dispatch just said he was throwing grenades out of his car in a 10 car chase halfway up to Chumash.” 

Terra turned to leave the scene, keeping to the shadows. She crossed the street and walked into the small little park. Finding a bench that wasn’t occupied by a hobo, she slumped down onto it. She pushed the heels of her hands to her eyes with a loud groan. The headache was turning into a migraine fueled by the smells from the wreckage. 

The sounds of the city returned to normal, the sirens shut off now that the immediate emergence was over. She groaned again, realizing her options for getting home were scarce. She didn’t have the cash to call for a cab, and her bike was still being rebuilt. And Terra wasn’t about to walk the two hilly miles in 6 inch platform heels with blood on her. The only contacts she had in her phone were the people she did jobs for, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to call one of them to give her a ride. She had Ryan’s number, but she wasn’t going to be a distraction that got him killed. 

Her head was screaming at her, and she was cursing herself when she heard them approaching. The gravel of the park’s path crunched under their shoes, and they were speaking about their upcoming hair appointments. Terra heard them stop near her, and warily she moved her hands from her face to look at them. 

The three women sized each other up, taking in their appearances. The shorter of the two had long purple hair in soft waves, her face framed by thick rimmed glasses. She wore a simple black tank top with multicolored leggings and a pair of boots. The taller redhead had pin straight hair and was wearing a pair of jeans with a t-shirt and lace up boots. 

“Terra, right?” The redhead spoke up. She had this knowing smile on her face. 

The purpled haired woman rolled on the balls of her feet. “Nice shoes by the way.” 

“Yeah, Thanks.” Terra mumbled “Who are y’all? Are you here to kill me as well?”

“I mean, if you want us to?” Purple raised her hands in the universal whatever shrug. 

“Ryan called us and asked us to find you.” Red spoke. “My name’s Lindsay and that’s Meg.” Purple- no, Meg, waved. “We’re part of the crew.” 

“Well, he actually called our boys to come find you, but when they heard the explosions, they offered to help him with the police.” Meg chimed in. “So we came instead. Besides, I’m a bit curious about the woman who captured Ryan’s heart.” 

“I see.” Terra stood up from the bench. “I’ll go as long as there some sort of medicine for this migraine I’ve got going on.” 

“Yeah, headaches due to headshots are the worst. Are you going to be okay walking a few minutes in those heels?” Lindsay asked, leading the group of women out of the park. 

Terra grimaced. “I used to be a stripper. I could run in these shoes if I wanted.” 

“So… how did you and Ryan meet?” Meg asked as they walked along the Integrity Way overpass. Terra could hear Meg gasp a little when Lindsay gently jabbed Meg with her elbow.

“Sorry about Meg, she’s a gossip whore.” Lindsay told Terra. 

“I’m not a gossip whore. I’m an information broker. It’s my job to know things.” Meg countered with a pout. The walk was a short one. They jaywalked across the five lanes that was Alta Street and headed towards the Integrity Way Apartment building. Terra watched as Lindsay plugged in the resident's code and access to the building was granted to the three. 

“Ryan’s known me since I was born.” Terra said as they got into the elevator. Meg turned to look at Terra with a quizzical look on her face. “What the what?”

“Ryan hasn’t told anyone about his past?” The other two shook their heads as the elevator continued to climb. “Let me get the blood off my face and some medicine in me, and I’ll spill some of his secrets.”

The elevator door opened, leading to a hall with two doors. Lindsay unlocked the door on the right, and they entered the apartment. Lindsay and Meg ushered Terra over to the kitchen area, sitting her down at one of the stools. Lindsay disappeared into the the lower level of the apartment, while Meg puttered around the kitchen, setting a tall glass of water in front of Terra. She then moved to grab some of the food that was still left on the coffee table in the living room. Lindsay came back from the lower level of the apartment, with a damp wash cloth, a small vanity mirror and a bottle of aspirin. 

“Yeah, we were going to have a bevs and video game night, and had just started setting up when Ryan called. So of course Team Nice Dynamite had to drop everything for the chance to help Ryan rain some chaos.” Lindsay said, passing the various items to Terra. Terra opened the bottle of aspirin and took the suggested amount right away, chasing the pills with the water. 

“I’m sorry that I ruined y’alls evening, but thanks for coming to get me.” Terra patted the damp cloth along her face, mopping the dried blood off. The apartment fell quiet as two other girls watched Terra expectantly.

“Uh… Right. How I met Ryan.” Terra paused to put the dirty rag down on the counter, the blood gone from her face. “Well, let me start by saying that Ryan and I were born into crime families. In particular, the Haywood and the Frye families have been friends for generations. Our Grandfathers, Ryan Allen Haywood and Bradley Frye grew up the best of friends. Our great grandfathers were part of a crime syndicate, but Papa Bradley and Grandpa Allen decided to strike out and start their own crime family. They grew up and got married and had kids, my dad Butch and Ryan’s dad Allen James. 

“By the time our dad’s were old enough to work for the family business, our Grandfather’s had built this empire. They had already taken out a bunch of the smaller gangs and families. However, the main family our grandfathers had fucked with, the Tomlins, started a war over our Grandfather’s leaving the syndicate. The Tomlin’s are responsible for killing Ryan and I actually.” Terra paused, taking another sip of her water. She shifted on the bar stool, trying to get comfortable. 

Lindsay picked up on Terra’s discomfort. “These bar stools are a bitch. Want to sit on the couch?” Terra nodded, and followed the two over into the living room. 

They each curled up on the couch, Lindsay taking an end with her legs tucked up underneath her. Meg did the same with a large bowl of cheese puffs in her lap in the turn of the sectional couch. Terra sat on the other stretch of the couch, crossing her legs at the knee. 

“So, when you said you’ve known Ryan since you were born you weren’t lying.” Meg commented. 

“Yeah. The first time I remember hanging with Ryan, I was four and he was eight, and we were riding in a dinky two seater go-kart that Ryan had stolen. He wasn’t looking where he was driving it and ran us into his house.” Terra said with a smile. “I mean the skirting of the house didn’t break, and we were going pretty slow, and the roll cage kept us intact, but yeah, he crashed us into the house.” 

There was a beat of silence and a large swell of laughter sounded throughout the apartment. The giggles subsided when Meg spoke up again. “Okay, I’ll save getting all the embarrassing kid stories for later on in this eternity here. I want to know when Ryan fell in love with you.” 

“To be honest, I fell in love with Ryan first. For a while, I didn’t know what to do about my feelings for him, and for a while, I was really passive aggressive about dropping hints and suggestions his way. It all came to a head when I was 17 though. We used to have this tradition of watching the sunset. And one day I gathered all my courage and I just flat out kissed him. But he pushed me away-.”

“That asshole!” “Definitely a jerk.” Terra smiled at Lindsay’s and Meg’s interjections. Growing up as she did, Terra didn’t have many girl friends. She had been constantly surrounded by boys. 

“Yeah, well, I kind of lucked out that he went away for about a week working with our Dad’s leaving me with our mother’s and grandmothers. They let me mope for about a day, but then they all sat me down for a long talk. They all motivated me to let it go, but they were all disappointed in Ryan. I mean, the two families had so many hopes and plans for the families to come together, right? Well time passed, we continued to be best friends." Terra paused again, taking another sip from her glass of water, the headache slowly going away. 

"If I'm honest, I don't think that it clicked for Ryan that I was actually a girl. I mean, our parents raised us together. If Ryan could do it, I could do it. Anyways, a few years later, I was working at the Belle." 

"The what?"

"The Southern Belle. It was the strip club I started at. It was renamed to Peaches when Ryan and I bought it, but that's like 3 years in the future from where this story takes place. Anyways, I was working at the club, it was something fun to do and I was saving up for a new motorcycle. Ryan and the boys of the crew we used to run with decide to go to the Belle for their guys night. 

"So they show up at the club, and score the booth that circled the forefront pole stage. One of the guys, Kovic, knew I worked there because he had come in like 3 months prior by himself. He had been trying to convince the 7 others to come to the club, mostly to play a joke on Ryan. See, Kovic was more like a brother than Ryan ever was to me, and he really wanted to see Ryan and I get together since we were still skirting around the issue of our feelings for each other." 

"Okay, pause!" Lindsay interrupted Terra, turning on the tv to show the security cameras around the building. "Sorry, I had a feeling that Michael was coming home. But for real, Terra, what's your astrological sign?" 

"Huh? Oh, uh Gemini." Terra answered. "Sorry, I know I can drone on forever." 

"No! It's not a problem." Lindsay smiled. "I just have a feeling that this conversation deserves wine to go with it." 

"Yes! Wine would be amazing." Meg smiled, getting up to help Lindsay in the kitchen."Red or White?" 

Terra got up to follow them. "Pink? If you have it." 

Lindsay selected a bottle from the wine cooler that was built into the wall of the kitchen. "You're in luck, we've got a pink." She uncorked the bottle, and poured the wine into the three glasses that Meg had gotten out. "Besides, you can tell a really decent story, I just had to get something to drink." 

"It's fine. No worries." Terra smiled, taking the proffered glass.

“Well, go on. Dish the dirt.” 

“Where was I? Right, it was the first time Ryan went into the club when I worked there. One of the bouncers had told me right before hand, that Kovic and a large group of guys were able to get the stage table. In that particular club, each dancer performed for two songs in each set. The first was always an intro, so a bunch of us girls treated it as a burlesque type of dance, and then we would rock the pole for the second song. So the DJ goes to announce me.” 

“How? What was your stripper name? What kind of outfit did you wear?” A barrage of questions came from Meg, who had an excited look on her face. 

“Down Girl.” Lindsay good naturedly placed a hand on Meg’s shoulder. “I like fashion just like any other girl, but Meg here loves lingerie or anything that makes her look and feel sexy.” 

“It’s a very powerful feeling. I get that.” Terra nodded along. “To answer your questions, my stripper name was Bambi. Super cliched, I know, but it worked for me. As to what I would wear… Well, The club wasn’t quite a fully nude one, the girl’s all had to have at least a G-string on, but my outfit I would come out in was this black hooded cape that went down to the floor. The rest of my outfit would be a basic black g-string and a pentagram harness. One of the more creative girls, made me a mask that I could wear with my hood that had foam antlers attached to it to play up on the Bambi-deer thing. Sometimes I would wear it, sometimes I wouldn’t.” 

“Oh my gosh, I can just imagine Ryan’s face when you walked out in that. Especially if he didn’t know you worked there!” 

“I know, right? His face turned so red!” Terra continued, after another sip of her wine. “So my song starts playing and I go out onto the stage. I’m slowly making my way down the catwalk towards the pole at the center stage where that booth was at. Halfway through my walk, I lose the robe. So the only things I have on are the harness the g-string and this silly deer mask. Now the club I was in, there was a severe no touching policy for the customers. I finally get down to the end of the stage, and those 8 idiots in the booth all had their mouths gaping open. Well, except for Kovic, he was already tossing money to the stage.” 

“Honey! We’re home!” The door clicked open and a male’s voice called out. Terra watched as Lindsay perked up. 

“Who the fuck is Honey?” Lindsay asked in a stage whisper, paying the three males who walked into the apartment no mind. 

“I know a couple of Honey’s.” Terra played along, reciting names and counting them off her fingers. “There’s Honey who runs the escort service up in Paleto Bay. There’s Drag Queen Honey who works out of Pitchers.” 

“Oh! There’s the Honey who is a goddess with all things hair and weave down in South Los Santos. She’s who I went to go see about my extensions.” Meg giggled as the men rounded the corner and walked into the kitchen. 

Ryan, still wearing his skull mask and his blood stained clothes, introduced the other two males to Terra. “Dear,” He paused for a second when snickering broke out from Lindsay and Meg. “This is Gavin and Michael.” He motioned his hand towards the two men, pointing at the man with fair hair and a large nose first, followed by a motion to the auburned colored haired man in the brown leather jacket. Terra smiled at the two men.

“Terra, I heard you got got. How’s your head?” Michael asked, stealing Lindsay’s glass of wine for a quick sip. 

Terra shot Ryan a pointed look as he moved to stand beside her. “Oh, I’ve never gotten any complaints about it.” She said, as Ryan took off the skull mask for it to disappear. The snickering that had quieted during introductions graduated into full blown laughter from the other women. Terra smiled as she saw a faint blush start creeping along the collar of Ryan’s shirt. Terra watched as the joke landed, Michael and Gavin joining in. 

The laughter died after a few moments, and Lindsay and Meg realized that Ryan wasn’t wearing his mask. 

“Holy shit. That’s a face.” Slightly awed by the fact that Ryan wasn’t wearing any facepaint. Terra watched as the blush on his neck crept up into his cheeks. 

“Yes, I have a face. I don’t wear a mask all the time. Jeeze, I do know how to be normal.” Ryan said, rubbing the back of neck. 

“Did you know that Ryan did a small stint in modeling?” It was comical watching their reactions. The hand that Ryan had used to rub his neck came forward to palm his face. Michael and Lindsay kept doing double takes between Terra and Ryan in disbelief. Gavin’s face was screwed up in confusion and Meg locked eyes with Terra. 

“You’re lying.” 

“Nope. Ryan and I were hired to do a job where we had to be undercover at a fashion show. One of the models had gotten their hands on a new drug variant of cocaine, and was blackmailing the maker who was working for an associate of the family that we were friendly with. So we were hired to take the model out, but because the model had been flown out of Milan for an exclusive show and would be flown back the next day, we had to do it during the fashion show. And since the model was male, and the show was for men’s fashion, Ryan had to be the model to get us back stage.” 

There was a beat of silence and an explosion of laughter. Michael was clutching to the kitchen counter laughing hysterically. The entire apartment was filled with laugher, as Ryan just stood there, face as red as his face paint normally, and Terra was chuckling along with a smile on her face. Ryan turned to look at her.

“So this is how it’s going to be? Letting all the cats out of the bag?” He asked. 

“Trust me, my love. It’s only drops of water in the bucket of all the embarrassing shit I have on you.” Terra smiled, patting his forearm as the other four tried to compose themselves. “This is only the beginning.” 

“This is why I liked it when it was only us.” He muttered. 

“Ryan was a model. I just-. I can’t believe that.” Gavin spoke up. “Too bad you don’t have photos.” 

“I know. It’s a shame, right?” Meg lamented. “So much blackmail material.” 

Ryan moved again, wrapping an arm around Terra’s waist. He sensed that Meg and Lindsay would try to get more information out of Terra. “Thanks for helping us out tonight, but I think we better go before my secrets aren’t secrets anymore.” He started nudging Terra towards the exit. “Let’s let these lads and lasses have their video game night, alright dear?” 

“Alright, alright. Thanks Meg and Lindsay for letting me hang out here. The wine was just what I needed for my headache.” Terra hugged the girls as they neared the exit, Michael and Gavin waving them off. 

“No problem. Just, before you go, can we get one last secret about Ryan?” Meg asked with Lindsay holding the door open for the Haywoods. Ryan huffed and rolled his eyes. 

“Sure, sure. Come close.” Terra said, motioning them closer. “Those cookies, the ones that Lindsay and Michael like-.” 

“You know where he gets them? I’ve been trying to get that out of him for the past four years!” Lindsay’s voice carried through the apartment, the boys in the living room watching with confused and amused looks on their faces. 

“Yeah, he bakes them himself.” Terra whispered. 

Ryan rolled his eyes again as he watched Lindsay slowly turn her head to face him, while Meg was eyes were shining bright at the incriminating information. 

“You bake those cookies?” Lindsay asked him in a deadpanned voice. 

“Yes?” The word came out slowly. Ryan watched Lindsay, waiting for her to do something. But it never came. Lindsay smiled and waved the couple off. 

“We’ll see y’all on Sunday, alright?” Meg called from down the hall, right as Ryan and Terra got to the elevator. 

“With bells on!” Terra called back, waving as the doors to the elevator opened. 

“See you Bambi!” Lindsay called out as the elevator doors were closing. 

The elevator was quiet for a moment, followed by a defeated sigh from Ryan and laughter from Terra. 

“Goddamn it, Terra.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much dialog.....


	7. With Love, From the Haywoods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sharing is Caring, right?

The house had a dingy and pathetic energy to it. ‘Like owner, like home.’ Terra mused. Leaning against the cleanest wall in the room, Terra’s nimble thumbs entered in contact information into her iFruit. Looking up from the two screens, she watched Ryan “negotiate” with Lester Crest through the eye holes of her silver skull mask. It didn't surprise Terra that Crest was cowering in his wheelchair. Ryan had turned the chair away from the computer that Crest was always in front of. Ryan towered over the man in the chair, his gloved hand gripping Crest’s shoulder, his masked face inches away from Crest’s.

Terra watched as bullets of sweat appeared on Crest’s forehead, his eyes dilated, his body slightly shaking. Terra focused back on typing out the contacts on her phone when she spoke up. “You know, Crest, my husband wouldn't be in your face like this if you weren't such a coward.” She heard Ryan shift and turn around to face her, Crest’s asthma starting to act up. She didn't look up from the phones. “If you were half the man you could be in this business, you wouldn’t be living in this shit hole of a house, you’d have nicer things, maybe a woman would pity you enough to let you have sex with her. But you're lazy and selfish. You only put effort into things that benefit yourself.” She kept tapping away at the phones.

“If you weren't lazy, you could be powerful, like my husband here. You could strike fear into people who you opposed, like how he’s scaring you shitless now. For example, De Santa and Phillips. If you actually cared, Phillips would have been your crazy attack dog and not De Santa’s. With your brains and Phillip’s insanity, you would be running Los Santos, instead of the Fake AH Crew. But since you're a coward, the best you can do is guide every two-bit criminal that comes to this town to their death if they get too hungry in this town.”

Crest struggled with his inhaler. “Your point, Frye?”

“It’s Haywood, but for simplicity’s sake, sure why not?” Terra looked up from the phones, and stared directly at Crest through the holes in the mask. “My point is, that as much as I hate you, I know you have potential. It’s too late for you to change your ways, and you'll never run this town, but you're still useful. And that’s honestly the only reason you're still alive.”

Crest wheezed. “What do you mean, the only reason I'm still alive?”

Terra shoved the two phones into the large pockets of her hoodie. She quietly opened her hoodie, and lifted her loose black tshirt. Her lower abdomen was scarred, split from one hip to her other. She watched as Crest paled, and Ryan’s eyes hardened behind his mask. “I got these scars when I was 25. We were about 10 months into our first year of marriage. For decades our families had warred with another crime family. I had been out shopping when I was grabbed by a pair of twins from the other family. They kept me for a week, torturing me to the point of fully removing my reproductive organs. They gave me a home hysterectomy. ” Terra paused, lowering her shirt and zipping her hoodie back up. “Once I was rescued, my wonderful husband spent the next 10 months shipping various body parts of those two twins back to their family.

“I guess what I'm trying to say is that my husband is very protective of me. We were both very upset about the mercenaries that tried to kill me last night. We were very lucky that we were able to get rid of them without nothing more than a headache. But here’s the rub, you handle the bounties in this town, Crest. Yes, you warned me. Yes, you didn't know I was married and who I'm married to. So, we discussed it, and you get to live. Imagine my surprise when I was arguing in your favor for keeping you alive. Because you’re useful.” Terra shoved her hands back into her pockets, not waiting to touch anything in the small house.

“That’s right, Lester, you're still useful.” Ryan squeezed Crest’s shoulder. “My wife and I are going to be hitting the Vangelico store.” Terra tuned them out when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She walked out of the small house, leaned up against Ryan’s car and answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Ah! Mrs. Haywood! This is Abigail from Vangelico! I just wanted to notify you that the rings you and your husband ordered are ready for pick up.” The upbeat saleswoman from the day before tittered over the phone.

“That’s wonderful!” Terra’s voice mimicked the woman’s tone. “But my husband and I went on a day trip today, we won’t be back in town until very late this evening. We could pick them up tomorrow, right?”

“That’s not a problem Mrs. Haywood. I’ll make a note of it, and we’ll see you and Mr. Haywood tomorrow. Have a good day!”

Terra hung up the phone, and walked back into the sad little home. She could hear Ryan and Lester actually negotiating Lester’s percentage of the take.

“You'll get 5%.”

“No, I'll get 15.”

“No, you'll take 10% or I'll feed you to the Altruists.” Terra interrupted them. They both looked up at her. “We hit Vangelico tonight. Everything is in place. Crest, have your buyers lined up.” She watched him as he nodded his head, and turned to the computer screen, Ryan no longer looming over him.

“I’ll have everything ready to go.” Crest tapped away at his computer. Ryan had already started walking out of the house.

“We'll be bringing you the jewelry after we go through it.” She called out over her shoulder, following Ryan out. She caught up to him, as he held the door of the Zentorno open for Terra to climb into. Terra pulled out the phones to continue putting the contacts into hers. Ryan slid into the car and brought it to life.

“We're still splitting the take with the crew right?” Ryan asked, his voice over the purr of the Zentorno’s engine.

“Yeah, sharing is caring and all that jazz.” Terra confirmed. “Besides, I feel bad that we didn’t go through the crew’s exporter.”

“Caiti won’t mind. She’s still lying low from our last job. It helps take the heat off of her by giving this job to Crest.” Ryan weaved the car through traffic, making their way back to the apartment building.

Terra added the last contact to her phone, all of the Fake AH Crew’s numbers were now listed with their name and their main job in the crew. She put her phone away, passing Ryan’s phone back to him. She sighed and leaned back into the seat. Once the phone was back in his pocket, Ryan placed his free hand on Terra’s lap, intertwining his fingers with hers.

“Why did you tell Crest about what the Tomlin Twins did to you? It hurts you every time you talk about it, baby, and I hate seeing you like that.” A flash of lightning light the sky as a summer storm that Los Santos was known for rolled it. It reflected the mood in the Zentorno perfectly.

“As much as I hate it, I have to get used to talking about it again. The crew is going to find out, there’s no way around that.” Terra squeezed his gloved hand, the silicone mask hiding her face. “Besides, it’s been almost 5 years now. I’ve had a lot of time to think about it, especially with the whole RESP♺WN thing.”

“What do you mean, the whole RESP♺WN thing?” Ryan asked as they were stopped at a stoplight.

“Remember how Grandpa Allen always used to say, “I'm going to live forever because of you two?” He was practically saying that his family's legacy would live on throughout the generations. Well, now, we actually do live forever. We are the family’s legacy. Besides, having biological kids in this world would be nuts. The kid wouldn’t have the same RESP♺WN abilities. I can’t imagine my child dying never for me to see again, and there I am, able to kill myself and be able to show up 10 minutes later as if nothing ever happened.” Terra watched the rain spatter on the window of the car.

“Yeah, that would be really fucked up.” Ryan was quiet, lost in thought.

“Anyways, aren’t the younger members of the crew like kids to you?”  Terra ask, perking up.

“Jesus, I mean, they’re more like Geoff and Griffon’s kids, but yeah, I get what you’re saying.” Ryan said as they pulled into the garage of the apartment building. They parked the Zentorno and got out.

“I think that before we hit the store tonight, we need to a.) get some sleep, b.) eat something, c.) move my clothes and weapons into your apartment, and d.) have sex. We don’t have to do them in that order, but those are the only things left on my to-do list for today.” Terra said as they got into the elevator to ride up to their apartments.

Ryan smacked Terra’s ass as the elevator doors closed. “You’re always on my to-do list.”

 

* * *

 

“Hypothetically, if you were ever interviewed, and asked what is the secret to your success during a heist, how would you answer that?” Ryan’s voice came through the earpiece that Terra had in her ear. They were testing the comm system that they had just purchased from the Ammu-Nation. They were still milling around the store, browsing the shop’s stock at 2 in the morning.

“The secret to my success during a heist is honestly very simple. Just remember the 4 S’s. Sleep, Sex, Steak, and Supplies. For a successful heist, you want to be thoroughly rested, agile and limber, hunger sated, and adequately prepared with a fully stocked arsenal.” Terra checked off the items on her list. The couple had moved all of her weapons cache and wardrobe to Ryan’s apartment earlier today, and Terra had taken the time to write down everything she owned when it came to weapons. She still needed to stock up bulletproof vests and sticky bombs.

“And do you feel prepared for tonight?” Ryan spoke quietly into the headset as he made sure that all of his weapons were fully loaded.

“Of course I do. I don’t know how you did it, but I had Kobe Steak in bed. Kobe steak that was seared to perfection, in my freaking bed. I don’t know who you had to fuck to get Kobe steak, but thank God you did.” Terra purchased the last two items off her list. “And I have to say, you fucked me pretty well-.”

The store clerk lumbered from the office area with three additional boxes in tow. He passed them over to Ryan with a nod of his head. The three boxes disappeared as Ryan touched them, the store clerk’s eyes rolling back into his head when they disappeared. The couple walked out of the store, approaching the two twin all black Bati 801 motorcycles. They stood beside the motorcycles as Ryan opened the packages.

The first package was a small one. In it was a wire that when attached to an iFruit would hack the security system in place at the store. Ryan passed the wire to Terra, where she plugged into her phone. The second package was a bit larger, with contents that seemed out of this time period. Ryan unrolled the leather package inspecting the metal lock picking tools. They were trying to do this job as quietly as possible and without any damage done to the store. Ryan stuffed the roll of lock picking tools into the breast pocket of his all black motorcycle jacket. The last package was much bigger than the first two, with large black military style duffle bags. The couple loosely strapped the bags across their bodies, getting on the two motorcycles.

With a turn of a key and a revving of the engine, the two bikes came to life. They quickly glanced at each other. Terra and Ryan both were wearing all black head to toe clothing. They had bought these clothes especially for this particular heist. Their jackets and pants were coated in a special reflecting material that wasn’t able to be seen to the naked eye, but would reflect on camera, especially cameras with flash or night vision. They had used the same material to cover their skull masks, which they were now putting on. With a quick nod at each other, they raced off into the night, crossing the empty streets towards the jewelry store.

They arrived at Little Portola Drive, not a soul on the street. They parked their bikes just out front of Vangelico. Terra acting as lookout had her AP pistol out. She screwed on the silencer, on full alert in case anyone came too close to the store. Ryan had pulled out the lockpicking tools, silently going to work. Growing up, Ryan had always been more proficient at the classical arts of thievery, while Terra had specialized in the new electronic forms. As security systems developed over time, the two worked in perfect concert.

Ryan slid the final pin into place unlocking the glass door, opening it and entering the store. The gun disappeared into nothingness as Terra moved from her spot as lookout and pulled her phone from her pocket. She plugged the cord into the security system on the wall of the store, and opened the hacking program. With gloved fingers flying over her phone, Terra quickly bypassed the security systems in the store. Her phone vibrated when the system went down.

Ryan watched as Terra nodded notifying that the systems were down. When she turned around, Ryan motioned that he was going to move further into the store to tackle the safe. Terra nodded, focusing on the small glass cases in the front.

The glass cases were locked by a simple ratchet lock and key. With some rummaging by Terra at area near the cash register, she found the key. Moving quickly, she unlocked each of the cases, shoving every piece of glittering jewelry she could into the large duffle bag. It took no less than 10 minutes for Terra to clean out everyone of the cases.

Terra moved to focus on the cash register in the store when she her Ryan whisper into the comm link in her ear. “Fucking Finally.” A slight hint of frustration laced his voice.

“Moving slow in your old age, Mr. Haywood?” She quipped as she slid the second key on the keyring into the cash drawer. The drawer popped open with a cha-ching noise, Terra’s hands pocketing the money.

“I’ve gotten a bit rusty, Mrs. Haywood. I’m used to blowing things up to open them.” Ryan shot back, and Terra heard him hustling to move the jewelry and money from the safe into his own duffle bag.

Terra glanced down at her watch, they were twenty minutes into the heist. Adrenaline started to turn into anxiety as the seconds slipped away. They had hit stores like this in the past, working as a two man team, but it had never taken them this long to do it. She looked up from her watch, her eyes scanning the large windows at the front of the store.

“Got the goods.” Ryan voice traveled through the earpiece as he came from the back of the store, holding a medium sized ring box in hand, and the large duffle bag slung across his back, heavy with jewelry. From behind the black skull mask, his stormy blue eyes shined with mischief. Terra shook her head, hefting her duffle bag across her back.

They quietly exited the store, Terra engaging the security system once more, and Ryan locking the door behind them. They hopped on the twin motorcycles, turning them on in sync. They lift the small side street and the empty store behind in under 30 minutes.

 

* * *

 

The Fake AH Crew had a schedule. The entire crew met every Monday, to go over the business side of things. Every Thursday, the meeting was much more casual, and not required to attend. Thursdays were for shooting the shit, thinking of things to do, dreaming of heists. More often than not, these meetings were normally just the males of the group, with the females going off and doing their own thing. They always met in the same safe house before splitting up.

Griffon, has she had been since she came to be in Los Santos in 2004, was in charge of the Crew’s finances. Every meeting, no matter if it was the Monday or Thursday meeting, began with Griffon checking their funds. WEZL news was always on in the background, no one ever paying attention to it, when some keywords caught Griffon’s ear.

The news reporter on the TV was stood in front of the Vangelico Jewelry Store on Little Portola, in front of a scene of flashing police lights and befuddled cops. Grasping at the remote control, she turned up the TV’s volume so she could hear the report, drowning out the other crew member’s conversations.

“For the second time in recent history, the Vangelico Jewelry Store was broken into and robbed. The police are reporting that a total of 100 million dollars in jewelry, gemstones and cash have been stolen from the store. According to the store owner, the store’s security system was disengaged at 2:30 this morning, coming back online at 3 am. The physical locks the store had in place were not damaged in any way, but it appears that the burglars bypassed these locks by tools they had on hand, or the stores own copies of the keys. The store’s safe was also compromised, being opened by traditional methods. The store’s security cameras were in play the entire night, but the burglars’ clothing rendered the footage useless to identify the culprits. We will play a small portion of this footage for you now.”

The crew had quieted and were watching a listening to the report on the television when the the security footage came on screen. They watched as what looked to be beings of light moved through out the store, the reflection from the burglars’ clothing distorting the video. Tension mounted as every person in the room thought the same thing, that their territory was being invaded.

“Who the fuck are these people?” Geoff muttered as the news switched from the footage back to the reporter at the scene of the crime.

“Again, the Vangelico Jewelry Store has been robbed, and a total of 100 million in goods has been stolen from the store. There were no witnesses. The owner of the store has expressed to us, that any current customer that was waiting to pick up any of their custom orders will be fully refunded as the store tries to recover from this heavy loss. Reporting live from Portola Drive, this is Red Andrews.” Griffon turned off the news and the crew around her in the safe house broke out in an angry buzz. Geoff was barking at Meg and Steffie to see what they could find out.

Not putting it off any longer, Griffon logged into the Crew’s bank account from her laptop. She first glanced at the total number, but then double taked. In the account was 70 million dollars that had not been there previously. Using the laptop’s mouse pad, she clicked on the transaction. It listed that the 70 million had been transferred from Lester Crest with a small note attached to it. “With Love, from the Haywoods.”

The gears were turning in Griffon’s mind as she opened her own personal account on the laptop. 2 million with a note, “With Love, from the Haywoods.” She opened Geoff’s account, the same amount and message was there. A delirious giggle came out of her. Geoff focused on his wife as he heard the giggle turn into a full belly laugh, with tears coming from her eyes.

“Griffon, babe? What’s wrong?” His tired eyes morphing from angry to concerned as he watched Griffon laugh. The other’s in the group falling quiet.

Griffon pulled out her phone, and quick dialed Ryan’s phone number, putting it on speaker phone. She giggled as the phone rang.

Ryan picked up on the third ring, his voice groggy from sleep. “Haywood.” The crew heard something shift and a female yawn in the background.

“You’ve been busy these past 3 days, haven’t you, Ryan? Is what I’m seeing real?” Griffon said, trying to keep the giggles out of the conversation.

“Sharing is fucking caring, right?” The female’s voice came over the line. Meg and Lindsay perked up at hearing Terra’s voice.

Ryan was heard chuckling over the line, the crew looking at each other in confusion. “Look Griffon, let me go, I’ve had an exciting and late night. Don’t let the kids go too crazy with the money.” A click was heard, and Griffon’s laughing picked up again.

Confused, Geoff walked over to where she was sitting, to look at the account she had up. He saw his own account, with more money that had been in there in a while. He saw that there were other tabs open for the other accounts, and he moved to the crew’s account.

“Holy Dicks, Sharing is fucking caring.” Geoff sat down beside his wife, in a state of shock.

“Geoff, what’s going on?” Meg asked, her face furrowed in concern.

“Ryan Fucking Haywood and his wife hit the jewelry store.” Griffon answered for him, her shock finally passing. There was a flurry of everyone on the crew grabbing their phones, and logging into their own bank accounts. Each member of the crew had an additional 2 million dollars in their account. Caiti, who was their exporter, had 3 million dollars with a small note: “Since we couldn’t come to you, have a little extra. Love, The Haywoods.”

That Thursday, the Fake AH Crew didn’t get anything done. There were nothing to do in Los Santos that day but try and plan how to spend their money.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks guys for continuing to read RESP♺WN. I do want to let y'all know, that if you want to get any kind of updates about the fic, please feel free to find me at http://livedierespawn.tumblr.com . And guys, feel free to comment, ask about the characters, anything like that. Have a great weekend!


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